My Vampire and I Vol 3: Blood Resurrection (15 page)

Joseph said, “The demons Pius surrounds himself with will be immobilised by us. Their minds will be shut down until we gain control.” “And you’re sure he is not aware of this plan?”
“Fairly sure.” Marcus smiled wryly. “There is an element of risk, of course, Bernard. But it won’t be the first time we’ve faced that together.” “Nor the last, I’m sure,” I muttered.
* * * *

Pope Pius, the Imposter, as I now thought of him, was seated on a grand chair surrounded by his ‘advisors’ when we entered his private chambers. For obvious reasons this could not be an open meeting. All cardinals, priests and other attendants not in his innermost circle were not present. Pius wore a fine robe of scarlet and a sneer on his face. Jumping into his mind for a second before he closed off any further probing, I had to suppress a chuckle at the thought I had captured.

He was jealous of Marcus!

True, Pius was a handsome man, and it was easy to see why the media had played on that aspect of his appearance, likening him to popular movie stars of a bygone age, but, simply put, he paled in comparison to Marcus’ noble beauty and bearing. Marcus had a Blood Resurrection serenity about him that enhanced his striking good looks to the point that all about him were diminished in appeal. If the Vampire Council had meant to intimidate Pius, they could not have sent a more able emissary than Marcus Verano. Dressed in a black suit and a white silk, polo neck shirt, he was the epitome of elegance and beauty, as always.

“So, Vampire…” Pius frowned heavily as he glared at Marcus. “You have a message to deliver?”
Marcus inclined his head slightly in an effort to appear respectful of the man’s position—if only on the surface.

“I have a message from the members of the Vampire Council,” Marcus said in an even tone. “After much deliberation about the news they received as to your plans and aspirations, they find it necessary to inform you that they will condemn and oppose any attempt by you to make a reality of bible prophecy. That is, the superstition involving the end of days.”

“Superstition?” Pius chuckled softly. “Do you know what the true believers would do to you for that blasphemy?”

“Oh, come now, Pius.” Marcus smiled, as if at a fellow conspirator. “You and I, and everyone here, know that particular prophecy was fulfilled hundreds of years ago with the fall of Rome. Armageddon may come, but most likely it will be caused by the greed of mankind, not at the whim of a man masquerading as the Antichrist.” An angry growl went up from the demons that stood close to Pius. He silenced them with a wave of his hand then leaned forward in his chair to glare with a barely suppressed fury at Marcus.

“You dare to suggest I am not who I say I am?” he hissed.

“And just who is it that you say you are, Pius?” Marcus asked, calmly, completely ignoring Pius’ rage. “Do you really think the people are going to accept the highest official of the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist? Don’t you think they might just question their faith if the man they revere as God’s apostle, is in fact, his most diabolical enemy?”

“They will not be apprised of that until it is too late!”

 

“And that is why we are here,” Marcus said. “To warn you that if you do not put aside these power plays, we will announce to the world that you are in fact, a demon—a several hundred years old demon, and that you once before held this office under a different name.” Blood Resurrection

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“And who would believe you, Vampire? Someone or something that people, the world over, scoff at as a mere myth—or fodder for fantasy. When would you deliver your message?

 

On Halloween?”

 

“Don’t be naïve, Pius,” Marcus replied calmly. “You must be aware that there are mortals who know of our existence, and who would find your ambition dangerous to their own welfare.”

 

“I already have all those of any consequence in the palm of my hand,” Pius sneered.

 

“You think they will listen to your Vampire Council? I am more powerful than all of you. Put me to the test, right now, and you will see that your threats cannot sway my will!”

“Where is your son, Constantine?” Marcus asked abruptly.
“What is that to you?”
“I should like to ask him what changed his mind about you. What did he see that transformed you from Messiah to charlatan in his eyes?”

“Be careful, Vampire,” Pius rasped, his eyes narrowing to hateful slits. “Remember, no one knows you are here. I can dispose of you and your friends in an instant, and no one will be any the wiser.”

 

Marcus chuckled. “You could try, I suppose. But if you think these few demons are any match for me and my companions, you are deluding yourself. If you doubt my word, send them against us, and I promise we will be gentle.”

“Fool!” Pius roared, giving the signal to his demon guards that they should attack. His expression as absolutely nothing happened was worth every piece of gold stored in the Vatican’s vaults. “Attack them, I said,” he yelled. Still the demons stood as if transfixed, staring at him with unseeing eyes.

Marcus sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “You see, Pius, or is it Enrico—or yet again, perhaps, Alexander? So many names in your lifetime and, yet, you remain the same twisted ghoul you always were, without very much intelligence.” His face as pale as ivory, Pius stood, trembling with rage at this insult. “You will not live to see another sunset, Vampire,” he snarled. “You and all your companions will be dust before this night is over!”

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I heard Pietro gasp as Pius disappeared, then Marcus and Joseph mounted the dais that housed his chair. There was no sign of him in the room nor was there any sign of a trapdoor or other escape route.

“He really did vanish in a puff of smoke,” Pietro said, with a light laugh.

 

“Joseph…” Marcus took one of the demons by the arm and led him towards us. “Free his mind of the thrall you placed on him. We need some information. I have a feeling he’s gone to where Constantine is held prisoner—most likely to vent his rage on his traitorous son.” Joseph swept his hand in front of the demon’s eyes, then leaned in close. “You know me,” he murmured softly. “I am your friend. Tell me, where is Constantine?”

“In his room,” the demon replied quite affably.
“Can you take me there?”

The demon nodded and smiled at us. The effect was both chilling and comical, but we had no time to wonder at it. The demon walked smartly out of the reception room with all of us at his heels. He led us down several long corridors, and I could sense Marcus checking every door, every hallway we passed, gauging our chances of escape should this end up being a trap. You never know with demons…

Our guide stopped at one of the heavy oak doors and rapped on it a short staccato of three knocks. The door swung open, and Marcus pushed a startled demon aside, gaining all of us entry into the room. The demon snarled and made to attack us, but Marcus held him at bay with a small gesture of his hand.

Constantine stared at us from the other side of the room. He was gagged and tied to a chair. His dark eyes widened and lit with hope on seeing us then closed as his body jerked and spasmed in obvious pain.

 

I heard Pietro whisper, “What’s happening to him?”

“He’s being tortured,” Joseph said, his eyes scanning the room. He fixed the demon guard with a hard stare. “Give me what you hold in your hand.” He glanced at us. “It’s a remote. Constantine must be wired somehow to receive electrical impulses.” He strode towards the demon who began pounding on the remote buttons, causing Constantine to groan aloud from the pain inflicted on him. Joseph punched the demon in the face, sending him reeling across the room and dropping the remote in the process.

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“If you’d given it to me when I asked, that would not have been necessary,” Joseph told the unconscious demon, bending to pick up the remote.

Pietro and I hurried to untie Constantine. “Marcus and Joseph are responsible for your rescue,” I said, pulling on the ropes that bound him to the chair.

 

“Thank you,” he gasped. “But you are all in great danger here. My Father told me none of you will leave here alive.”

 

“We will deal with that threat when the need arises,” Marcus said, eyeing Constantine carefully. I knew he was probing his mind. Marcus was not about to take anything for granted, no matter how sincere the Pope’s son now appeared to be. “Why is he doing this to you?”

“Because he feels I have betrayed him—which, of course, I have.” He shook his head in slow disbelief. “I understand his anger. I have thrown in his face all that he ever gave me. I was created to aid him in his ambition, and now, I have turned my back on him.” Constantine looked at Marcus and shrugged. “Quite honestly, I’m surprised I am still alive.”

“Perhaps he cannot bring himself to actually kill you, his own son,” I said.

 

“Perhaps…” Constantine did not seem convinced. “But another reason might be that he is not quite finished with me. He might think he can bring me back to his side.”

“And can he?” Joseph asked quietly.
“No. Nothing would persuade me to help him now that I know he has lied to me and to all who believed in him. He is not what he purports to be.”

“But what if he was,” Marcus murmured, his eyes never leaving Constantine’s. “What if he was indeed the Antichrist? Would that bring you back to his side?”

 

“After what he threatened to do to Gustav?” he exclaimed. “Never.” The sound of a cough behind us made us all look towards the door. Our demon guide, still under Joseph’s thrall, pointed into the hall. “Someone’s coming,” he said, mildly.

“Close the door, and lock it,” Joseph instructed him.
“Now what?” Pietro asked, with a worried look at all of us. “Do we fly out of here, or stay and fight?”
Before anyone could say another word, there came a loud hammering at the door.
“Open up,” someone yelled. “Vatican Security. You must open up immediately!” Blood Resurrection
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“Not likely,” Marcus said. “There is not a chance of that being the Vatican Security. Pius would never take the risk of them finding out just who is in here. How would he explain away the presence of four vampires in company with his son and two of his bodyguards?”

 

“Open up!”

“Looks like we fly out of here. Quickly,” Marcus added as a tremendous crash sounded in our ears and the door shook on its hinges. “Constantine, Joseph and I will carry you.” Joseph took the demon in his thrall by the arm. “Do not open the door, and when they eventually enter, you will have no recollection whatsoever of who was here.” The demon nodded and smiled. Comical, yet chilling, again.

Marcus opened the window with a wave of his hand. “Close it behind you,” he instructed me. “Let them wonder for a while just how we escaped.” He and Joseph grabbed Constantine by each arm, then lifted off, sailing through the open window with us right behind them. After I closed the window, I paused, hovering outside to watch with some satisfaction as several demons burst into the room, weapons drawn, only to find one of their own smiling foolishly at them and another stretched out unconscious on the floor.

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Chapter Ten
Constantine

The vampires took me to the comparative safety of a friend’s palazzo in the hills outside the city. I was worried about Gustav, knowing it would not take my Father very long to find out where he lived and use him as bait in order to get me to give myself up. Pietro and Bernard immediately offered to go to his apartment and bring him to the villa. While they were gone, Marcus and Joseph questioned me as to what my Father’s plans were. I knew this was inevitable, and since I had already betrayed him to the point where he wanted me dead, I saw no sense in holding anything back.

“It’s a simple plan really,” I told them. “He has already ascended to the Pontiff’s throne.

From there he can issue his proclamations to the faithful masses. His speeches will become more militant as time goes by—over a period of years. As governments fall, or are changed by the electorate, he will ensure that those who replace them are his minions. Eventually, every country will be ruled by him. Those who oppose him will be disposed of before they can become a real threat.”

“You said over a period of years,” Marcus remarked. “How many years?”
“Decades, possibly hundreds of years. He is immortal, after all—”

“He is not immortal, Constantine,” Joseph interrupted. “If he thinks he is, he is mistaken. Demons live a long time but are not immortal.” Marcus nodded. “Joseph is correct. Of all supernatural beings, only vampires can live forever—if we are not destroyed by physical means. Your father has already lived several hundreds of years. I would not give him that much more time.” I blinked in surprise. “But he says he will live forever. That is why he has waited so long before making his move.”

Marcus and Joseph exchanged glances. “Could it be he’s found some elixir to prolong his life?” Joseph asked.

 

“Possibly.” Marcus shrugged slightly. “But the more likely answer is arrogance. You said he believes himself to be the Antichrist, but I got a different feeling about that when we Blood Resurrection

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met him face to face. I think he knows he is not but is determined to act out the part. What he is, is a megalomaniac—and a very powerful one. Not only does he believe himself to be above the law, he is able to convince others of it. He is no different from countless others in history who have wanted to rule the world and kill all who would get in the way of their success. Hitler, for instance, is a perfect example—except, he did not have supernatural powers. There, Pius has the edge. He has the power to sway even the most sceptical of minds, and that will be our biggest obstacle to overcome.”

“What are his weaknesses?” I asked.

“You mean, apart from his arrogance?” Marcus smiled ruefully. “I would think his lifespan. Unless, as Joseph suggests, he may have found some means of prolonging his life, I would hazard a guess that he has very little time left on this earth.” I gaped at him. “Are you serious? How can he not know this?”

“Perhaps he has blinded himself to the possibility of his death. Or, somewhere along the way, he was told he would live forever. I don’t know, Constantine. But I do know that as a demon, he will die eventually. Something I have not said before…when we were close to him, my vampire senses smelled the scent of corruption. I believe he is already dying, and that could make him all the more dangerous.”